Chris Poljacik has been my personal trainer for the past 18 months. When we first started working together, I was in terrible shape. Having suffered a broken back in an automobile accident two months earlier, I was physically weak and had lost a lot of flexibility. To top things off, the accident aggravated an old knee injury and probably contributed as well to a new hip problem.

Even though my doctors had urged me to get into an exercise program, the seriousness of my injury made me very reluctant at first to do any type of exercise. But Chris soon put my fears to rest. He talked with me at length about my specific problems and goals and in several very helpful sessions showed me, with the aid of a model skeleton, how we could strengthen and reduce the pain in my lower back, hip, and knee. We started slowly with some stretching exercises. These were especially beneficial because they opened up my spine and made me much more flexible. Over the next eight months, Chris guided me through a variety of weight-bearing and stretching exercises targeting the muscles in my back and legs. The results were dramatic: the pain in my lower back and knee disappeared completely and overall I was much stronger. In recent months Chris has added new exercises to my routine to increase strength and improve flexibility. My hip is more stable than before and with the help of some extra tips from Chris–relating to how I stand and sit– I expect it will be back to normal fairly soon.

Working with Chris has been a tremendous boon for me. I’ve benefited not only from his impressive expertise as a movement specialist and his thoughtful attention to my specific problems but also from his positive and encouraging manner. Today, I am in better health than I was before my accident and for that I have to thank Chris Poljacik, one of RVC’s greatest treasures!